LG’s audio-focused Google Assistant smart display is out now

LG was one of the hardware partners on board when Google announced its new smart displays platform back at CES this year, and now the first product is finally here. The display, variously and confusingly referred to in the press release as the “LG AI Smart Display,” the “LG XBOOM WK9 Smart Display,” and the “LG XBOOM AI ThinQ model WK9,” can be bought from various retailers in the US.

LG is aiming to differentiate its smart display by focusing on sound quality, partnering with Meridian Audio to tune the pair of 20W speakers. The display is 8 inches across and “HD” resolution (probably 720p), while there’s a 5-megapixel camera up top for video calling. LG has previously worked with Meridian on some voice-only Google Assistant products.